Cairo: A defiant former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, now in prison, has asked his supporters to remain steadfast, praising them for their “revolution” against coup leaders who want to “subjugate” the nation.
“I congratulate you and express delight at the continuation of your revolution against the lame coup and its leaders who seek to subjugate the country to their whims.
“Yet, they will never succeed. They live in fear of a black fate awaiting them as a punishment for what they have perpetrated of crimes against the great Egyptian people,” a letter written by Morsi from prison on the occasion of the New Hijrah (Islamic) Year, said.
Morsi, 63, the first democratically elected head of state in Egyptian history, is currently in jail for inciting murder and violence besides revealing state secrets to a foreign country, sponsoring terrorism and carrying out acts that undermined Egypt’s stability and security. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
The letter, which was described by some Egyptian media outlets as inciting, first appeared in Morsi’s official Facebook page on Saturday and later, it was uploaded on the Muslim Brotherhood website.
Meanwhile, the letter made an Egyptian lawyer Samir Sabri to file a report to the Prosecutor General against the ex-president, accusing him of inciting violence by asking his supporters to ‘continue their revolution’.
In the letter, Morsi also said that he is continuing to reject all the attempts to negotiate a compromise at the expense of the revolution and the blood of the martyrs. “I would like to stress to all revolutionaries active on the ground as well as their leaders, councils, alliances, symbols, thinkers and students: “No recognition of the coup, No retreat from the revolution, No negotiation or compromise on the blood of the martyrs,” the letter said.
Morsi also said that he shall not depart his prison before all his “detained sons” are freed and before all his “detained daughters” are back to their homes. “I have not and will not forget the martyred soldiers assassinated by treacherous criminals after the coup turned the whole country into rivers of blood. I believe only the revolution will heal the wounds of our country,” the letter added.
Morsi lasted only one year in power before being ousted by widespread protests led by then Field Marshal Abdel Fattah el-Sisi who is currently the sixth President of Egypt. (PTI)